Lisbon

I had a weird dream yesterday. I was in Lisbon... well, that's what a map I was reading said. There were a lot of people around. I could see aesthetic limestone buildings with red roofs. 

The scene suddenly changed to a beach where I was walking alone, absolutely clueless about where I was going. Then I just paused, began walking towards the ocean and I woke up!

Dreams are often related to the sub conscious mind. I tried remembering if I had watched any movie where Lisbon was shown or read somewhere, something about Portugal or if I had browsed the Portuguese cuisine in the food application on the phone. No, I am sure, I had never thought about Portugal. Perhaps, I have overlooked or forgotten something I had come across.

Now the thing is, after waking up I searched the internet for more information about the place and concluded that I would love to see it sometime.

I've been lucky in terms of travel this year. I visited three different places - Lachung in Sikkim (India), Liverpool (UK) and Sydney (Australia).

Lachung offered me the perfect hibernating spot. Far away from the maddening crowd and chaos of the city. My resort was at the top of a mountain. Though it wasn't snowing there, one could see snow capped peaks all around. The chill had a soul. A warming soul. I sat on a rock outside and meditated. Soon after that a cat came up to me and bit my finger! Since I was vaccinated against rabies, I calmly classified the wound as Category 2 and slipped back into the afterglow. That state of peace cannot be expressed in words. If I have just one day to live, I'd like to be there. I have left a bit of my essence in Lachung.

The trip to Liverpool was work related. I was there to attend a conference on brain infections and I also had a paper to present. Though thrilled about the fact that it was my first trip to a new continent, I was scared about facing the foreign audience. The place had a soul of its own. There was something very dreamy about it. I went on long strolls breathing in the air kissed by the river. I spent a lot of time on the docks listening to the sea gulls cry, getting wet in the constant drizzle. Something about the place seemed very familiar. I cannot seem to put my finger on it but yes, I wish  I can see it once again someday!

Soon I set my foot on another new continent - Australia. B and me went together to Sydney. That was a mandatory visit to get the PR status activated. Sydney is not one of the best places I have visited but it is fairly good. More than the popular tourist attractions, I enjoyed travelling on the train and buying blueberries from Woolworths. B and me had a fight due to my silly fascination with the train. I kept on insisting on visiting random places so I could sit in the train for a longer time and B has limited patience in the public. Thus, the outcome is quite expected. The guest house where we stayed was pretty cozy. It did break my heart to leave behind B but this transition was vital for him just like returning to my city was for me.

So, overall, I am extremely happy with my travel schedule this year. I hope I can squeeze in many more in the years to come.

And yes, Lisbon it is, one day...